I think Conor wants to hedge his bets. He wants to get the 155 belt first, and if that works out, he'll relinquish the 145 belt. If he loses at 155, at least he'll have the 145 belt and can drop down (as painful as that will be) and defend it.
The UFC definitely doesn't want him to think he can outmuscle them but they're still at the point that what's beneficial for Conor is beneficial for them. A fight for another belt would be big and that means lots of money for the UFC. They've done build-ups for two Aldo fights already and he got knocked out in 13 seconds. I doubt that 3rd build-up and second fight would sell as well as the alternative, an attempt to make history.
I also disagree Khabib is above him. Khabib hasn't beat anyone worth mentioning in years. He needs to stop resting on his laurels. Yeah, he beat RDA...years ago. Struve beat Stipe a few years ago...should he get a HW title shot? Of course not. Khabib needs to beat someone other than Daniel Horcher (who?) and do so more often than once every 2 years. The fight with El Cucuy needs to happen. Then there will be no doubt as to who is the rightful contender. In the meantime, Conor vs. Eddie. That way Eddie gets paid, Conor gets paid, the UFC gets paid, and we get a legit challenger.
